USCB's Heesch drafted in 8th round

Michael Heesch grew up in suburban Chicago and dreamed of one day pitching at Wrigley Field.

That dream came true, in a sense, when the University of South Carolina Beaufort left-hander was invited to participate in a pre-draft workout for the Chicago Cubs last weekend.

Now Heesch begins the quest of making the dream come again, as the Cubs selected him in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday.

Heesch tried to keep his mind off the draft as much as possible Tuesday, but knowing the Cubs had every intention of selecting him, he couldn't pull himself away from the MLB.com coverage for long.

"I knew the Cubs were going to try to take me, and every time their pick would come up, I was waiting for their phone call," Heesch said.

When the call came — a bit earlier than expected — Heesch left the room to take it. Meanwhile, in the other room, his father, Fred, saw his son's name flash across the screen.

Within an hour, Heesch was on his way to Wrigley Field to meet with representatives from the organization, including president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, and making arrangements to report to Mesa, Ariz., for a physical and extended spring training in a week.

"Not only is it my favorite team, but it's the first draft for Theo Epstein with the Cubs," Heesch said. "It's an unbelievable privilege to be drafted and to be thought of so highly by the guy who broke the curse of the Bambino."

The news that he will get the chance to pitch at the next level — and for his favorite team, no less — comes on the heels of a remarkable senior season at USCB. Heesch went 9-3 with a 2.21 ERA and a school-record 118 strikeouts to earn Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and help the Sand Sharks win a school-record 41 games and advance to the Avista-NAIA World Series for the first time.

In two seasons after transferring from Illinois-Chicago, Heesch compiled a 14-8 record and a 2.81 ERA in 34 games (30 starts). He struck out 196 and walked 34 in 198 2/3 innings.

On Monday, he was named a second-team NAIA All-American — the first USCB player to earn All-America status — and on Tuesday, he got the call from the Cubs.

All that good news didn't happen by accident.

"He's as hard of a worker as I've been around," said USCB coach Bryan Lewallyn, whose father, Dennis, is the Cubs' minor league pitching coordinator. "When he got here from UIC, he was at 81-82 with no breaking ball, and he's done everything that was asked of him and more. He has turned himself into the guy that he is."

The guy he has become is an intimidating lefty — he stands at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds — with a fastball that sits around 90 mph and gets to 93 or 94 when needed, an effective slider and a developing changeup. He has impeccable control, as evidenced by his 9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season, and he was durable enough to pitch 122 1/3 innings this year with five complete games, including one shutout.

That endurance indicates Heesch could project as a starter, especially if he can develop better command of his changeup, a pitch he rarely had to use at USCB.

"The other thing he has going for him is he doesn't think he has to throw 95 or 96 to get people out," Lewallyn said. "He has a good feel for pitching and holding runners and that sort of thing, and he understands that he can pitch at 88 to 90 and get guys out, and then when he needs to he can run one up to 93 or 94."

Heesch is the second USCB player to be drafted, joining right-hander Dexter Price. Price was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 30th round of last year's draft. He went 3-2 with a 4.96 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) for the Missoula Osprey in rookie ball last season and is currently in extended spring training at the Diamondbacks' training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz.

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